Hesperus Mountain (Colorado)

{{About|the peak in Colorado|the peak in Alaska|Mount Hesperus (Alaska)}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Hesperus Mountain

| other_name = {{spell-nv|Dibé Ntsaa}} {{in lang|nv}}

| photo = Hesperus.jpg

| photo_caption = Hesperus Mountain

| elevation_ft = 13237

| elevation_ref = The elevation of Hesperus Mountain includes an adjustment of +1.650 m (+5.41 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.{{cite peakbagger|pid=5849|title=Hesperus Mountain, Colorado|access-date=October 20, 2014}}

| prominence_ft = 2852

| prominence_ref =

| isolation_mi = 24.53

| isolation_ref =

| listing = {{unbulleted list

|North America highest peaks 110th

|US highest major peaks 91st

|Colorado highest major peaks 50th

|Colorado county high points 28th

}}

| location = High point of Montezuma County, Colorado, United States

| range = Highest summit of the
La Plata Mountains

| map = Colorado

| map_caption = Colorado

| coordinates = {{coord|37.4449971|N|108.0889642|W|type:mountain_region:US-CO_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| range_coordinates =

| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=178988|name=Hesperus Mountain|access-date=October 20, 2014}}

| topo = USGS 7.5' topographic map
La Plata, Colorado

| first_ascent =

| easiest_route = Scramble

}}

Hesperus Mountain (Navajo: {{spell-nv|Dibé Ntsaa}} meaning "Big Mountain Sheep"{{Cite web |last=Carey |first=Harold |title=Mount Hesperus – Navajo Sacred Mountain |url=https://navajopeople.org/blog/mount-hesperus-navajo-sacred-mountain/ |website=Navajo People}}) is the highest summit of the La Plata Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent {{convert|13237|ft|0|adj=on}} thirteener is located in San Juan National Forest, {{convert|21.2|km|order=flip}} northeast by east (bearing 59°) of the Town of Mancos in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The summit of Hesperus Mountain is the highest point in Montezuma County.

Mountain

Though not of particularly high elevation for the region, Hesperus Mountain is visually quite prominent, as it is near the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains and rises over {{convert|7000|ft|abbr=on}} above the area.

Hesperus is notable as the Navajo People's Sacred Mountain of the North, {{spell-nv|Dibé Ntsaa}}, which marks the northern boundary of the Dinetah, their traditional homeland. It is associated with the color black, and is said to be impregnated with jet. When First Man created the mountain as a replica of mountains in the Fourth World, he fastened it to the ground with a rainbow and covered it in darkness.Robert S. McPherson, Sacred Land, Sacred View: Navajo perceptions of the Four Corners Region, Brigham Young University, {{ISBN|1-56085-008-6}}.

The San Juan Mountains have been the traditional homeland of the Ute People. http://www.dargnet.org

http://uintahbasintah.org/maps/ubsw.jpg

Along with Ute the La Plata Mountain Range has also been the early homeland of the Navajo People who had settled on and near this mountain and the La Plata Mountain Range.